BC Hydro completes $20-million upgrade at a Coquitlam substation
Substations are an important part of the electrical system. They receive high voltage power from transmission lines and transform that power to a lower voltage so it can be distributed to homes and businesses.
Work at the Como Lake Substation began in July 2013. BC Hydro installed:
- A new transformer, bringing the total number of transformers at the substation up to five
- Equipment that will enable the addition of 12 distribution feeders
- New protective equipment, including switches and circuit breakers, which connect high voltage electrical equipment inside the substation to the lower voltage switchgear – similar to an electrical panel in a home but much larger.
This upgrade is just one of hundreds of BC HydroÂ’s capital projects underway throughout B.C. that, together, make up one of the largest expansions of electrical infrastructure in the provinceÂ’s history.
BC Hydro will invest, on average, $2.4 billion a year over the next 10 years in the electricity system including upgrades to transmission and distribution systems and dams and generating stations.
Related News

COVID-19: Daily electricity demand dips 15% globally, says report
LONDON - The daily demand for electricity dipped at least 15 per cent across the globe, according to Global Energy Review 2020: The impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on global energy demand and CO2 emissions, a report published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in April 2020.
The report collated data from 30 countries, including India and China, that showed partial and full lockdown measures adopted by them were responsible for this decrease.
Full lockdowns in countries — including France, Italy, India, Spain, the United Kingdom and the midwest region of the United States (US) — reduced this demand for electricity.
Reduction in…